Destiny of Hearts
by Cloud413
Summary: This is the story of Sora and his quest to learn the true abilities of the Keyblade and to find the one he lost, Kairi. It takes place about one year after the game ends.
1. Destiny

DISCLAIMER - None of these characters belong to me, neither do any of the items, towns, names, or virtually anything else you would see in the game. They are property of Disney or Squaresoft. The story of Kingdom Hearts isn't mine either. This little add on to the story that I made up is possibly the only thing in this story that belongs to me. This takes place not quite a year after the end of the game. Please Read & Review! I love to hear from people about what they think of my story (please no flames). OK, now onto the fun part.  
  
It had almost been a year since that first adventure. The wielder of the Keyblade had all but ceased from using it. A world in which the Heartless no longer existed had no need for a hero. However, one night, all of that would change.  
  
A young boy nearly the age of 16 rolled restlessly in his bed. Suddenly, he jumped up, his deep blue eyes flying open as he awoke from his nightmare. He was glistening as the moonlight bounced off the drops of perspiration that covered his face and chest. His normally spiky brown hair matted down and damp. He glanced around nervously and eventually found himself back to reality.  
  
However, all that Sora could manage to utter was "Kairi." He buried his head deep into his hands. He'd been having a similar dream for a few days now. It would start as Kairi stood on the beautiful white-sand beach of Destiny Island. She was as beautiful as Sora remembered her, her red hair shimmering elegantly in the bright sunlight of the day. She would look out over the vast expanse of ocean that was spread before her, completely unaware of anything else. Sora himself was standing near the secret spot. He would begin running towards her and each time he had the dream he would try to run all the faster, but to no avail.  
  
When he reached the edge of the beach, a mound of darkness would flood from the ground and begin to take form. It would swell to a size beyond comprehension and then shrink into the shape of a boy, built not unlike Sora. His silvery hair would catch the sunlight and his menacing blue eyes would pierce into Sora's soul. He would slowly smile and then disappear leaving in his place a figure all the more evil. The tall man would sport the same evil, twisted smile as Riku had several moments earlier. Ansem however, would come to play a much more sinister purpose in the dream. He would slowly turn and face Kairi. As he would gesture towards Kairi, he would look over his shoulder and laugh. Kairi would be engulfed in a swirling black mist, as the same would occur to Ansem. At this point, Kairi would stare deep into Sora's eyes and he would stare the same into hers. She would scream and beg for help and Sora would run towards her. However, just as he would reach her and grasp for her outstretched hand, she would vanish. He would scream and as Ansem floated several feet beyond his reach, he would scoff at Sora and state "We'll be waiting," before vanishing. At this point every night, Sora would awake in the same state only to find himself confused and frightened beyond belief.  
  
However, this night was slightly different than all of the rest. This night would be the one where Sora would come to once again face his destiny. He could have never guessed what was impending on that clear summer evening. The moon shone majestically in the sky and Sora sat slumped over in the elegant bed in King Mickey's former castle. Sora sat thinking deeply about the girl he had lost. Kairi, how he missed her. He had meant what he told her. Their hearts were bonded forever and he had made her a promised he meant to keep. He would come back to her, no matter what it took. He had maintained that hope through all the time that they had been apart. He had searched high and low for a way to return to her and to the carefree Destiny Island. But after a year, he, Donald, and Goofy were no closer to finding a way to reach Kairi or finding the Door to Light that held Riku and King Mickey.  
  
Sora, stressed by the night's events, decided to catch a breath of the crisp night air. He got dressed and headed out of the castle, wandering out the front gate and walking slowly along. Sora looked up at the full, silver moon and at that moment, he was filled with a warm sensation all around. He felt that at the same moment, Kairi was looking up into that same sky, and although they were thousands of miles apart, he felt like they were together again.  
  
But everything was about to change. Everything that Sora had known would come to twist. A familiar voice broke the serenity of the night with a familiar statement.  
  
"So much to do. So little time. Now, the time has come Key Barer. The time has come for you to fulfill your true destiny." 


	2. The Voice

"So much to do. So little time. Now, the time has come Key Barer. The time has come for you to fulfill your true destiny," echoed the omniscient voice once again.  
  
Key Barer, it was a phrase Sora once knew well, but in the year that followed the initial attack of the Heartless, he had stopped using the Keyblade. The title of Key Barer was almost foreign to him. But he knew the voice well, he could never forget it; it was that same, all-powerful had led him down a path that he could have never imagined. He had never decided that his journey was a good or bad experience. He had traveled the cosmos and met a multitude of new people. He was changed forever. But at the same time, he had lost his best friend and rival Riku to the darkness. What was more, Sora had lost the one treasure that he valued above all others; Sora had lost his love Kairi. He had promised her that they would be together again and Sora had never broken a promise. Perhaps the reason that Sora never reached a closure in his journey was that, despite his best efforts to convince himself otherwise, he had always felt in his heart that his journey was not at an end. The return of this invisible guardian, however, frightened Sora as he remembered the events that had occurred on his journey.  
  
"My true destiny? What about all that happened before? I didn't travel to all of those places just so that in the end I could lose my best friend, King Mickey, and most importantly, the girl that I lo. Kairi! The Keyblade has brought me to nothing but loss; it was a waste." Sora responded with an anger that quickly turned to sadness.  
  
"A waste? It was far from waste. You speak of loss and sadness, but fail to acknowledge even one glimmer of hope or accomplishment. The strength of heart that you gained with your journey is of more value than you can possibly comprehend. You draw that strength from your friends, as you said yourself, and what would those friends be without you, without the Keyblade? A waste you say? Rather, a prelude of greater things to come."  
  
The words of the voice sunk deep into Sora. Hope, strength, heart, friends, and things to come. It wasn't over, Sora knew that now. The barriers that separated the worlds would be no match for the promise he made to Kairi. The words of the mysterious voice reminded him of the promise he made to Kairi; "I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you, I promise." That was his promise to Kairi. He had forgotten who he was after a year of waiting. The true Sora would never give up. The true Sora would fight to the end to find Kairi. If he had to defeat a thousand Ansem's to fulfill his promise to Kairi, he would do it without a second thought. A million Heartless or none, Sora would not break his promise to her.  
  
"Do not forget, it is your heart's strength that allows you accomplish anything. Believe and nothing can stop you. I will be watching you Key Barer."  
  
As the voice faded, Sora felt something that he hadn't felt much in the past year. He felt hope, and at that moment, he knew that he would be able to keep his promise. He didn't know just how he would accomplish the task ahead of him and he didn't know where he would start, all that he knew was that he had a promise to keep. Just as he finished his thoughts, the sky lit up with a brilliant light as the sun rose in the beautiful sky to start a new day. But Sora wasn't admiring the brilliant yellows and oranges that came with the sunrise. Even when turning back to look at the moon, he wasn't viewing the scenery. In fact, Sora's mind was thousands of miles away in a bustling little town that he had come to know well during his adventures. He had just remembered that intricate detail that everyone, even he himself had overlooked. Sora knew had only one other piece of business to take care of as he took something from his pocket. He pulled out a small, golden key chain. As he closed his eyes and put his hands in front of him, a thousand sparks appeared to go off at once, it was almost blinding. When the glow cleared the glistening golden Keyblade rested in Sora's grasp, resonating a newfound power. As Sora ran back towards the castle, he could hardly control his joy. He had unlocked the mystery, he was sure that he now knew the key to traveling between worlds. He could hardly wait to tell Donald and Goofy, their quest was to resume and with no time to loose. Keyblade in hand, Sora ran towards the castle, prepared now, more than ever, to dive headfirst into a new adventure. 


	3. Believe

Sora ran towards the castle at full sprint, he hadn't a moment to spare. His Ultima Weapon swung methodically in his hand. How could I have not thought of that sooner? How could waste a year without examining every possibility? He pounded himself with questions now that he had discovered the secret to leaving King Mickey's planet. He dashed through the castle gate, cornering through the castle hallways like a master, not losing a second off of his time slowing down. He reached the chamber of Donald and Goofy. He paused, just for a moment, to swing the door open. As he dashed in, Donald awoke with a start while Goofy slept noisily in the other bed.  
  
"Sora! What are you doing?" wailed Donald. "Donald. Keyblade. Traverse. Mickey. Kairi!" panted Sora, not waiting to regain his breath.  
  
"Sora, you're not making sense." explained Donald. Slightly recovered, Sora expanded on his discoveries. "I heard. the voice. said Keyblade. hope and strength of heart. sunrise. moon. Mickey's kingdom. Traverse Town."  
  
"Voice, Sora? Mickey's realm, Traverse Town?" asked Donald, still clearly confused on the message that Sora wanted to convey. Breath regained, Sora explained. "The voice is what led me to the Keyblade in the first place, but what I'm trying to say is that I know how to find Mickey, Riku, and Kairi. I know how to get off this planet!"  
  
"Leave the planet! How? What about the barriers?" queried Donald. "I'll explain it all on the way, we've got no time to loose. We've got to." Sora stopped mid sentence as Goofy's snoring penetrated the conversation.  
  
"Goofy, wake up! We've got to leave! Sora says it's important!" exclaimed Donald. In seeing that his attempt at waking Goofy had failed, he resorted to his failsafe method, striking the sleeping beauty, or lack thereof, with a thunderbolt. Goofy awoke slowly, responding at an equal pace to his surroundings. "Oh, hi Donald, hi Sora. What's going on? Are we going somewhere?" questioned a confused Goofy. "Goofy, we have to go! I know how to find the King! I know how we can get to them!" exclaimed Sora. "Really, how? How do you know that you're right?" asked Goofy in return.  
  
"I just believe. That's all we had to do all along is believe. I believe now that I know how to find them and so I will," responded Sora. "Well, uh. ok Sora. Let's go!" Goofy answered.  
  
And so the new adventure began. The three partners set out from the castle, dusting off all of their old equipment from the Save the King, Goofy's mighty shield to the Save the Queen, Donald's matching wand. They were fully prepared for the journey ahead of them. The castle guardians were glad to get a chance to go on another adventure, the details of running the kingdom had softened the two warriors over a year's time. As the left the castle, Donald questioned Sora as to the direction of their travels and how exactly he planned to leave the planet.  
  
As they walked, Sora explained his discoveries. "Last night I couldn't sleep, I was haunted by memories of Kairi. I made a promise to her and it's one I would never break, much less to the girl I lo. I mean, I knew all along that our adventure wasn't at an end. It was just this feeling I had. But I went out from the castle in the dead of night and I was just admiring the stars when all of a sudden, I heard that voice. It was that same voice that had spoken to me in my dream, that same voice that had helped me to find my way to the Keyblade, and that same voice that pushed me through all of my journey. This voice, it told me that it was time to fulfill my true destiny and that all I had to do was believe. And then I knew, then I knew that we could do anything if we just believed. I remembered that there were new barriers between the planets, but I knew now that all I had to do was believe. Just then, the sun rose on the horizon and shone bright in the sky. I turned and looked behind me and there was the moon. Then I remembered, in Traverse Town, in the secret waterway there was that moon symbol on that wall. Then I remembered that the gummi ships aren't the only way to travel between planets, there are also interplanetary doorways like on Destiny Island. All we have to do is find these doorways and we can travel wherever we want!"  
  
"But what about the moon in the secret waterway?" questioned Donald. "Don't you get it, it wasn't just a design, it was one of those doorways between worlds. So if there was a moon symbol, there must be a matching one somewhere else with a sun on it! That's why the sunrise was so important. I'm sure that this is the way to the doorway and so we're going towards the sunrise. I don't know how, but we'll find that doorway! I'm gonna find Kairi, no matter what it takes!"  
  
And so, intent upon their new goal and driven by the hopes of Sora, the trio set off into the sunrise. They couldn't have known the adventure or the dangers that awaited them along their way. All they knew was that by believing, their dreams could come true. Their new story was just beginning, as was the bright new day. 


	4. The Journey

"Sora!" called her voice. "I know you will," she echoed again. Just then, the ground split, and no matter how hard he tried to hold her hand, there was nothing he could do. As he tried to hang to his love, their grasps split. He reached out in desperation, as did she. They both strove to hold each other again. Neither had lost hope. "Sora!" wailed a voice as Sora snapped back to attention.  
  
The young, brown haired boy and his two companions, the duck and the dog sat quietly on a rock alongside the path they had been walking. "Sora, you dozed off there, we were worried," stated the tall, long nosed dog. "What were ya thinking about?" questioned the stout duck. "Nothing. Let's get a move on, we've only got so much time," asserted the pensive boy.  
  
And so, Sora, Donald, and Goofy continued following the path that the now rising sun represented. The trio traveled through forests and plains, hills and fields, never doubting their fearless leader. They walked for quite a long time; all three were growing tired and hungry as the sun reached its apex. A short later, they all stopped abruptly at the edge of a lake. The sun shone brightly across its placid surface. Donald and Goofy looked from side to side. "What now Sora? Where should we go?" questioned an anxious Donald.  
  
But Sora didn't hear Donald's inquiry, his eyes were closed and his mind focused. "Sora?" repeated Donald. Just then, Sora took a step forward. He placed his foot down and just when it seemed he would plunge headfirst into the lake, his foot rested on the shimmering river of golden light. The reflecting sunlight suddenly glowed even brighter and a very clear gold path appeared. "See, you just have to believe and anything can happen," stated Sora.  
  
Ever so cautiously, Donald and Goofy stepped forward onto the golden path. And so they went, walking in wonder with the glowing pathway beneath them. A minute later, the three stood at the point where the sunlight stopped. As they looked behind them, the river of gold that they had walked on had all but disappeared. They stood on the only remaining section of light on the lake. Donald and Goofy dared not question Sora, they could already tell that he knew what came next. And so Sora thrust the Keyblade into the air pointing it directly at the sun. "Believe" was all he said. He closed his eyes and pictured Kairi, he remembered the last time he had seen her.  
  
"Promise," he had yelled as the worlds separated. "Remember my promise!" She hadn't heard them, but he knew she wouldn't forget him. He intended to return to her, no matter what it took. Slay a thousand heartless monsters, travel a thousand galaxies, risk his life time and time again, he would do whatever it took to return to her. He held a power stronger than any barriers that could stand in his was; he had the power of love.  
  
As Sora opened his eyes, he no longer looked towards the sun; he was staring into the glowing crest of a moon. He glanced to his right and to his left and saw Donald and Goofy standing with him. He thrust his hand and the Keyblade into the air; he was overcome with the joy of what he had done. He had done the impossible; the barriers that he had been told would separate the planets forever had not prevented him from his journey. He had traveled to another world, and one he knew well.  
  
Sora suddenly felt a soft tingling feeling on the back of his neck and his hairs stood on end. As he whipped around quickly, he saw a cloaked figure waiting at the end of the short corridor. He walked confidently forward and stopped, poised, just feet from the cloaked creature. There were no distinct features of the person, all was hidden in the darkness deep within the hood. "You have come at last," stated a powerful voice as he took a step forward. "Who are you?" asked Sora sternly.  
  
"Who I am is not so important as to what I have to say. The Heartless have returned, you will find you journey more difficult when having to deal with them. But you will defeat them, there are fewer of the, but they possess far greater power. Never fear, the power of the Keyblade will protect you. They wanted you to have this, I am sure it will help you in your journey," state the voice as an arm extended, dropping a small object into Sora's hand. "Good luck Key Barer, and never stop believing." ended the cloak, as it turned and vanished into thin air.  
  
"That voice. Always there." muttered Sora to himself as he closed his hand around the object and turned around. 


	5. The Plan

"Donald, Goofy, come on," called Sora, snapping the two out of a trance. Goofy and Donald turned and ran to Sora's side. "What do we do now Sora?" asked Donald. "If we knew that, it wouldn't be much of an adventure, now would it?" responded Sora. "Either way, lets go look around Traverse Town."  
  
And so the three wandered out of the cavern into the alleyway. They all remembered the place well. They had returned to it countless times during their first great adventure. They had unlocked its secrets and grown comfortable to its streets. Its inhabitants had been their best friends and greatest aids in their journeys. But what the trio was to encounter was as much the same as it was different. Cid, Leon, and the others had returned to Hollow Bastion. Only the native inhabitants remained in the place. The shops were still thriving and the people were happy. Sora and his band began to talk to the people.  
  
Inside the accessory shop, the man working at the counter had a lot to say. "Hey, remember me! It's been a long time, hasn't it.? What brings you back by this way? Care to buy anything, need a place to stay? I hope your journey was easy. So how are things?" "We don't need to by anything, we've really just returned to travel to other worlds," stated Sora. "Oh, that reminds me! That fella Cid, he left some things for you. Told me just to wait, you'd be back. He took that gummi ship of his and said he was going home," responded the salesman as he handed a bag to the travelers.  
  
With that, Sora, Donald, and Goofy walked out to the street to examine the contents of the bag. Inside, Sora found some Elixirs, a few Tents, a few enchanted relics, and a note. The note read: "Dear Sora and friends, I know this stuff probably won't come in much handy to veterans like you three, but maybe it'll be of some use down line. Sorry we can't be there to greet you, but you know we returned to our home planet. We all knew that you'd find a way to get back here. Even Leon with all his talk about barriers never doubted your abilities. We await your arrival at Hollow Bastion, as we know that you will come our way again in your search for Kairi, Riku, and King Mickey. By the way, you may wanna check out that bell tower, I think it hasn't fulfilled its usefulness yet. Sincerely, Cid"  
  
"That's good enough for me," stated Sora when he had finished the letter. "Let's go guys, we've still gotta figure out a way to travel between planets. But where do we start." Sighing, Sora slumped his head to think. "Wait! I've got it!" Sora exclaimed. "Well, what is it Sora?" questioned Goofy.  
  
"We still can't use the gummi ship right? So we'll just have to find more doorways that connect the planets. The one between your world and Traverse Town can't be the only one, right? That must be what Cid meant about the bell tower. So let's get to it!" spelled out Sora.  
  
And so the three great warriors were about to embark further upon their greatest quest yet. But great darkness loomed near in their futures. Sinister forces were at work and the trio would soon encounter some of their greatest adversaries since the many forms of Ansem. The boy, his Keyblade, and his two companions were prepared however, for whatever lie ahead. 


	6. The Visitor

Sora, Goofy, and Donald ran through the giant doors that led to the bell tower district. Sora wanted to waste no time in his search for Kairi. Every wasted moment was a moment he lost with her and every second that passed without her left a hole in his heart. He had discovered a sense of urgency and he knew it was up to him to find her again. As the three warriors blazed through the gizmo shop, full of its turning wheels, blinking lights, broken clocks, springing platforms, and whirling gears, a thought crossed Sora's mind. What if this didn't work, what if he could never return to Kairi. As he stopped for a moment, he flushed the idea from his mind and said out loud. "I'm going to find you Kairi, no matter what it takes!"  
  
Sora and his partners exited the shop and climbed the ladder to the bell tower. The huge bell sat dormant, gathering dust. Sora knew this had to work, he knew that this is what he would need to find Kairi. He walked to the cord and tried to pull it as hard as he could. It wouldn't budge. Then he saw Kairi's face, smiling, begging him to come back to her. He pulled the cord and the bell swung hard, as Sora turned and looked, the block in the fountain turned once. A glowing door appeared on the fourth face of the block. Sora could see his way out, he saw hope. It was at that moment when the band of warriors was caught off their guard. From inside the dropped a large black mass. It was formless and fluid, but most of all, it was black as the night. As it lurched out from the bell, it grew in size; the mass took form and began to develop features. As it completed its evolution, it fell to the ground with a deafening thud.  
  
Sora, Donald, and Goofy were shadowed by what appeared to be a living black colossus. It took a few steps towards them, striking fear into the hearts of these formerly battle-hardened fighters. In one swift motion, it sent Goofy crashing backwards through one of the three pillars with a bell insignia on it. Sora began to run at the creature and as he did it struck at him. He dodged by the fast moving fist, but it caught Donald and in the same manner as Goofy, sent him hurtling back through another of the pillars. Sora reached the feet of this mighty warrior and began to attack it viciously with his Ultima Keyblade. As he sliced at the leg of the creature, slivers of darkness began to fly from the growing gash. Sora then powered up to unleash one of his powerful combo attacks, but the colossus drew back its leg and punted Sora into the last remaining column. The column didn't break, but Sora had greatly dislodged much of its structure. The roof was beginning to shake while Sora was struggling to move his body with all the pain. Suddenly he had an idea. Sora sprung out of the column and smiled as he leapt backward off of the balcony, viciously slashing at the column's support. It gave under the almighty force of the Keyblade and the roof fell, burying the giant under a huge pile of rubble. On solid ground, Sora turned to find Goofy and Donald. Both lay a little ways apart, badly hurt and breathing heavy.  
  
Sora ran to Donald first and tried to help him up. Donald cried out in agony, he was badly hurt. When Sora went to try and help Goofy the reaction was similar. He couldn't even pick them up to take them to a house to rest. He didn't know what to do. "Go!" moaned out Donald. "Find them." muttered Goofy. "But I can't just leave you two here, I mean." started Sora. But his sentence was cut short by a huge explosion on the balcony. Rocks flew everywhere, showering down even on the injured combatants. Another crash was heard and Sora's fears were realized as the black monster stood once again.  
  
Sora stepped forward prepared to fight. As he did, the monster glared at him with a menacing intent. Sora rushed at the creature, but as he did, the monster's legs split off and went to the sides as his upper torso fell to the ground. As the legs oozed, the torso took new form as a smaller version of its former self. Sora paused for a moment, confused, but then charged again with his former rage. As he swung at the smaller creature, he saw the former legs flood by him at lighting speed. He stopped his attack short to whip around, just in time to see the two ebony masses cover his friends. As he ran back towards them, a portal of energy opened in the wall. Both blobs flew through the gateway as it closed quickly behind them. Sora screamed in rage as he pounded the wall with his fists, turning furiously to face the monster again. He dashed and before the monster could track his movements, Sora had begun to unleash a Ragnorock attack upon it. But the attack was to no avail, the brute shirked the attack as if nothing had occurred while Sora stood, hunched and panting. The monster grabbed Sora around his entire body and held him up. He squeezed tighter and tighter until Sora didn't think he could take anymore. Sora started to black out and his thoughts all went to Kairi.  
  
Suddenly, a whirling blade of red and blue came flashing through the air. It spun so quickly that its whistling sound hurt Sora's ears as it went by. It flew straight through the neck of the monster, whose head rolled quite unmajestically from its shoulders. The blade stuck into the wall and it was seen to be a double-sided weapon that appeared to be part spear and part sword. It had two double-sided blades connected with a shining silver bar. It was ringed in red and blue and emanated a great force. The monster's grip loosed and then failed to exist as the black menace vanished into nothing. Sora fell to the ground, in pain and attempting to regain his breath. He was on his hands and knees as the mystery figure approached him.  
  
"Leon told me to keep my eyes open for you," stated the figure as he cast off his cloak. "I guess you should be glad I did." The one who spoke was a stout but strongly built man. He had ratty brownish blonde hair and a scrunched face, seeming to have almost no nose at all. He wore somewhat archaic clothes, which were accentuated by the dressy cuffs that he wore while having no sleeves. He appeared to be still in his teenage years and not far older than Sora himself. He carried himself proudly and spoke the same. He walked confidently to the wall and drew his weapon from it, sheathing it on his back. "We've got a lot of work to do my friend. I hope you're ready for what's to come. Well Sora, it's nice to meet you, I'm Zidane." added the proud man as he extended his hand to help the weakened Sora from the ground. Sora took his hand and as he rose, looked deep into Zidane's eyes and found he had nothing to fear. 


	7. Training

"Zidane, huh?" asked Sora, still slightly dazed but recovering. "That's right. I'm friends with Cid, Leon, and all of them, but I'm not from the same place," responded Zidane. "So where are you from?" again questioned Sora. "Not to far away," answered Zidane, glancing at the glowing open doorway that was in the fountain. "How could you beat that monster?!" exclaimed Sora. "Well, as you'll come to learn soon, facing a creature like that is a blessing. I wish I got to face those guys more often. The ones that you're going to face on your quest are a thousand times stronger," carried on Zidane. "But it nearly killed me, Donald, and Goofy! Oh no. Donald and Goofy, what happened to them?" cried out Sora. "Gone. swallowed by the darkness." muttered out Zidane. "They're not gone gone, but getting them back is going to be as much a part of your adventure as finding Kairi and Mickey," explained Zidane. "How could you know all that?" questioned Sora suspiciously. "Like I said, my friends are your friends and they told me everything I need to know to help you out. but that's not important right now. We have some serious training to do. So we'd better get started. Let's go!" asserted Zidane.  
  
And so the two young heroes walked through the glowing doorway. As they entered, Sora looked around him as time and space itself seemed to swirl around them. Walking through, lights of white, blue, and green blazed by them. The path that they walked on was a brilliant shimmering gold. After not too long, Zidane and Sora reached another doorway. "This is it," stated Zidane. "My home, the planet Gaia."  
  
Exiting the doorway, Sora found himself looking out over a lush green field. The wind blew lightly over the grass, causing it to sway methodically as far as he could see. The sun shone brightly in clear blue sky. Everything seemed perfect in this picture-book world. Sora turned around to find Zidane and instead found he was looking at a large stone wall. As he looked upward, he found that the height of this castle was almost unending. It carried into the sky, the highest point, seeming to be beyond his sight, was the glimmering sword that went through the center of the castle.  
  
"Where are we?" questioned Sora. "Alexandria Castle, heart of Gaia, my home and the home of. Queen Garnet," finished Zidane shakily. "Do I get to meet the queen?" asked Sora innocently. "Look Sora, you're not the only one with a stake in this. If you wanna meet the queen, we're going to have to fight to win her back from the Heartless. The stole her from me, there was nothing I could do. I'm not powerful enough to defeat them on my own," forced out Zidane. "But you defeated that monster that was crushing me in Traverse Town." explained Sora.  
  
"Like I said, that was child's play. You'll be able to beat him too, you just need to believe. It's not your own strength that's lacking, it is the Keyblade that's been weakened. Since you first gained the Keyblade, its power has been cut to a fraction of its former greatness. The Keyblade has been divided into six different blades, you've seen three of them but have only one yourself. That means that the Keyblade has one sixth of its full power. Regain the other Keyblades and you'll regain your full power. You have the power to defeat these monsters; it's your power of heart that will guide you through this. So I'm going to train you, the worlds that you'll be travelling will be different than the worlds you've visited before. But you can do it, I know you can," valiantly finished Zidane.  
  
"I'm ready," stated Sora confidently. "It's up to me to save my friends, and I'm not going to let them down." "Good. You'll need that confidence, now ready your weapon," instructed Zidane. As Sora raised the Keyblade, Zidane was already rushing him. The two mighty weapons clashed together, the Ultima Weapons both resonating great powers. Zidane struck quick and hard and Sora was left to try and fend of blows. Lightning strike after lightning strike was rained down on Sora; he deflected or dodged each one. As Zidane brought down his weapon from an overhead attack, Sora guarded and hurled Zidane backwards. Stumbling, Zidane regained his balance just in time to begin his own round of parrying attacks. Sora's Keyblade flashed as the sunlight bounce off it. It swung true and Sora began to beat back Zidane. But quickly regaining his composure, Zidane pushed back against Sora. The two stood, pressing their weapons hard against each other, neither willing to give up, neither yielding an inch. In one simultaneous burst of fury, both boys launched each other backwards, both falling to the ground, weapons landing several feet away.  
  
"You see Sora, it was not your skill, but your weapon that proved ineffective against the Heartless. The same moves I used there turned our giant friend in Traverse Town into dust," stated Zidane, panting slightly. "Ya, but I still have to make due with what I have. And let's face it, a weak weapon won't help me beat any Heartless or get any closer to finding my friends," raved Sora, almost in a rage.  
  
"That's true, but I want you to remember that emotion that you're feeling right now. By using your emotions, I'm gonna show you how to become the greatest fighter the universe has ever known. I'm gonna show you a trick that I call the Trance," smiled Zidane. "Trance? How are my emotions gonna make me fight better?" asked Sora. "Look, you're just going to have to trust me. When you learn this, nobody's gonna be able to touch you. Now let's begin," explained Zidane.  
  
"What do I have to do?" asked Sora, prepared to learn. "Clear your mind. Once you've done that, I want you to focus your thoughts. You need something to drive you, something that pushes you to anger or brings you to life. It has to be important, like it's the only thing that matters to you. Once you have that, you're almost there. Mine's easy, anytime I need power I just think to Dagger. I picture her in danger, being threatened by Kuja and a thousand evil monsters. and then." he trailed off as he closed his eyes. He began to glisten, just a little at first, and then a blue glow overtook him and grew stronger and stronger until the sight of him hurt Sora's eyes. After a bright flash, Zidane was left standing, emanating blue rings of force. He was changed, stronger, faster, and more powerful than ever.  
  
"This is the Trance form. Your power is increased a thousand fold, there is no limit to what you can do. It is the strength of heart that allows you to create this power. And I know that you possess great power of heart. I want you to do it. I want you to go into the Trance form," exclaimed Zidane.  
  
Sora closed his eyes. His mind went blank. He just stood perfectly still. Then he saw himself in his mind. He was standing on a white sand island, floating in the air. Then he saw that beautiful girl with the shimmering dark hair and the brilliant blue eyes. She stood not far away on an island with yellow sand. He ran towards her and grabbed her hand as she fell. They stared deep into each other's eyes. Then the islands began pulling apart and they split. Their hands broke apart and both reached for the other. Sora could feel his emotions rising. Then, he saw that awful man, Ansem, standing behind her. He smiled a horrible smile and walked up behind the unknowing Kairi. Behind him swarmed hundreds of Heartless. At that moment, Sora called for Kairi. "Look out!" he screamed. But Ansem grabbed her and the Heartless swarmed over her. He could no longer see her. His mind raced, his fury reached its peak, and he cried out in anger as he thrust his arms out furiously to the side. Zidane saw Sora throw out his arms, he saw him scream, and he saw him open his eyes in a blaze of fury. Suddenly the ground shook all around them. The quake was uncontrollable. Zidane looked around and found Sora to be the cause, he saw fire burning in the boy's eyes. Sora then let out one final shout to the heavens. At that, the dust swirled around him, the clouds circled around the spot he stood, and his body burned with the most brilliant golden glow that had ever been seen. Zidane was even in his Trance mode thrown to the ground by Sora's sheer power. Sora's energy continued to build and build, the golden luminescence growing to many times that of Zidane. The light came to light the entire world and everything seemed as if it were the middle of the day. The sun itself was humiliated to shine after the power of Sora's heart. When all had settled, Sora stood perfectly still, flames of gold flying from every inch of his body and burning brightly in his eyes. His clothes had changed as well, every piece of clothing turned gold and was cropped to be sleeker, smoother, and more protective. Zidane was amazed by his power as he pulled himself from the ground.  
  
"That's it Sora, you've got it! With power like that, the Heartless don't stand a chance," exclaimed Zidane. "How about one more go?" questioned Sora confidently, waving the Keyblade. "Let's do it!" answered Zidane.  
  
Zidane rushed at Sora intently, his blue power shining brightly. Sora stood absolutely still. Zidane reached him and swung his Ultima Weapon full strength towards Sora. Sora seemed not to move, until, at the last second, he blocked the swing with the greatest of ease. Zidane attempted several other attacks, but Sora easily defended them expending no energy. He drew up his Keyblade and took one swing towards the weapon of Zidane. Before Zidane had a chance to react, the glowing golden Keyblade met his sword. Zidane was thrown backwards and landed on the flat of his back more than a hundred feet from Sora. He sat up, looked at Sora and laughed. "And I had to save you from the Heartless." Zidane yelled jokingly. "I'm ready, Zidane, I'm ready to take on the world!" Sora exclaimed. 


	8. A Fresh Start

As Zidane helped himself up from the ground, he couldn't help but marvel at how quickly Sora had learned the Trance technique. Kuja had spent his life trying to reach that level and yet Sora had far surpassed both Zidane and Kuja in a single attempt. It almost hurt Zidane's eyes to look at the brilliant golden blaze that Sora had become. The Trance slowly faded from both men as Zidane approached Sora. "She must mean a lot to you," noted Zidane as drew closer. "What. What do you mean?" Sora questioned, trying to hide his feelings. "Ha. You must think me dumber than I look," laughed Zidane. "Emotions like those can only come from one thing. Must I say it Sora?" Zidane paused and looked towards the now nervous Sora. "It's love."  
  
Sora hadn't ever admitted that feeling out loud. He had never even admitted it to Donald or Goofy. But Zidane saw right through him. He felt nervous, but at the same time energized. He looked up from the ground, not blushing and avoiding eye contact like the child he once was, but staring into Zidane's eyes and saying with confidence, "It is love, it always has been." "It's good that you know that. Love is something worth fighting for. I should recognize it when I see it, it took me longer to see it in myself, but there's no mistake. You've got something to fight for, always remember that and you'll overcome anything."  
  
"When can I leave? I've got no time to waste. The Heartless are coming for Kairi and I have to find her before Ansem can get to her. How do I leave and what do I need to do?" questioned Sora, insisting on hastiness. "Calm down, calm down. We can't rush into this without thinking. Ansem knows you're coming and he knows that the path that we're going to take is the only option, so we have to be prepared for anything, it could get very ugly out there," explained Zidane. "You could get ugly out there." muttered Sora in contempt. "We'll leave in the morning, now come on, it's time for dinner," stated Zidane, ignoring Sora's comment. And so the two wandered off towards the castle entrance. At the gate, Zidane was greeted with salutes from the guards. Sora began to realize that his new friend might be slightly more important than he initially thought. As they walked through the streets, people called out to him and he waved back to the excited crowds, bowing and greeting them as they traveled. Eventually, they reached the palace, a grand castle in the center of the bastille city. The guards at the entrance to the palace all saluted and said "Hail King Zidane" as Zidane saluted them back and put them at ease. They were greeted at the door by a large knight, serious and yet seemingly good-hearted beneath his tough exterior.  
  
"Is this the one we were expecting Zidane?" asked the knight (informally, to Sora's surprise). "This is him Stiener," responded Zidane with a friendly handshake. "He isn't much to look at is he." frowned Stiener. "He bested me in battle. That, my old friend, is more than you could ever claim," contended Zidane in a cool yet confident tone. "Then you won't mind if I put him to the test?" questioned Stiener respectfully. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" responded Zidane. "Well boy? What do you say? Do you think you can handle the Captain of the Knights of Pluto?" boasted Stiener. "If you're what I have to go through to find Kairi, then let's do it to it," scoffed Sora. "I hope your confidence isn't misplaced."  
  
With that, the three walked out into the courtyard and Stiener drew his mighty golden sword the Excalibur II. It shone brightly in the sun as he turned it from side to side. At the same time, Sora was standing perfectly still. He breathed deep as he brought back that painful dream of Ansem overshadowing his Kairi. His eyes flashed open and the golden blaze devoured his body. He was once again imbued with the awesome power of the Trance. He swung his arm out to the side and drew the Keyblade out of nothing. He burned with fury and it was no longer Stiener he saw, but Ansem. He saw Ansem laughing, mocking him, and mocking his love. Stiener rushed at Sora, raising his sword to strike at the boy. Sora swung his arms back, crouched low, and the next second, was behind Stiener with the Keyblade at his side. Stiener froze for a second, seemingly stunned. Then, he fell to his knees, supporting himself with his sword. He had fear in his eyes and was gasping for air. Sora turned around in a majestic, sweeping fashion, looking to Stiener, who struggled to his feet. "Who pissed in his Wheaties?" choked out Stiener to Zidane, who laughed and shook his head. "What do you think of him now?" questioned Zidane in response. ".and I thought you had some rage issues." continued Stiener. "But I suppose that he'll do, I suppose it's not every fellow who can take down a man of my abilities. It was a close battle however." Sora had calmed down and just smiled and shook his head at Stiener's comment. Later that night, Zidane threw a grand party for Sora. There was a bountiful feast laid out and the entire kingdom was in attendance. Everyone was having a great time, except for one boy who sat at the king's table. All evening beautiful ladies had been asking Sora to dance with him, but each time he looked up, shook his head, and sunk back down in his chair. After awhile, Zidane approached him and in a hushed tone asked "You know what one of the great secrets of life is Sora?" "No, no I don't." mumbled Sora. "You must never let them see you down. Look around, all of these people are dancing and having a great time. But Sora, they have lost their queen and I my beloved. Yet we celebrate because we want to keep our hope alive. All men have sorrow; it is the ones who use it as power that are called brave and courageous. Those are the men who become heroes." Sora sat puzzled for a moment and then smiled, stood up and said "Thank you."  
  
And so Sora danced the night away, all the while thinking of Kairi and keeping his hope alive. In the morning, he woke up with the sun. He was energized and excited to be setting out today. He got dressed, prepared himself and wandered to the front gate, where he found Zidane talking to Stiener. "But King Zidane, I must object, it is my duty to protect you and the queen," pleaded Stiener. "I'm sorry Stiener, but I'm afraid that Sora and I must do this by ourselves, we have a personal connection here and although I never for a moment doubt your devotion, I must ask you as a friend to stay here and protect the kingdom. For me, and for Dagger." "As you wish your majesty." said Stiener with a bow. As he walked away, Stiener added, "and make sure you come back alive Zidane." "Oh, Sora.. Ready to go? We've got a lot of work ahead of us my friend." "Zidane, I've never been more ready for anything in my life. And you were right, about hope and all." "Of course I was, they give you this great handbook of pep-talks when you're king." "What?" "Nothing. uh, let's go." stuttered Zidane as the two headed off towards the mountains over which the sun rose. As soon as they were away from the castle, Zidane raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A great rumbling filled the earth and a huge ship flew overhead. Sora's jaw dropped. Two beams hit Zidane and Sora and the next thing Sora knew, he was looking through a red glass at the peaceful plain they had just been walking. "Welcome to the Invincible," stated Zidane. Zidane quickly navigated the ship to their destination, over a small glacier filled area of the ocean. The seawater glistened beneath the ship. "Ready Sora?" asked Zidane. "Ready for whhhhhhaaaaaaaaaatttttttttt.." screamed Sora as he and Zidane both fell from high in the sky, face first towards the freezing ocean. Sora covered his eyes with his arms and the Keyblade, afraid to look his own demise in the face. In the mean time, Zidane yelled with excitement and put on an aerial stunt spectacular. However, as the duo grew every closer to the ocean, the Keyblade began to glow. Soon Sora found his hands thrust straight downward by the power of the Keyblade. Without warning, a black hole in the shape of a keyhole appeared and the Keyblade began to seal it. At the same time, Sora and Zidane fell through, landing on soft sand on the other side. "Man, what kind of friend do you think I am? I know what I'm doing," stated Zidane as Sora glared at him in disbelief.  
  
Sora didn't know where they were, but in the distance, he could see a dense forest. He was on an island, some men played with a ball just down the beach. On this very island, a boy had become a hero and a young summoner, a champion. 


	9. A New Partner

Sora looked around him, a beautiful beach spread for awhile before meeting a glistening blue sea. The beach always brought back memories of Destiny Island. As he stared, dazed, he thought of Kairi; he pictured her beautiful hair and her eyes. More than anything it was always her eyes. They always seemed to glow with that amazing blue color. No clear sky on a sunny day or waving ocean came close. When he looked into her eyes, it was as if nothing else mattered. but suddenly, Sora snapped back to attention as a yellow ball whizzed by his head. "A little help," shouted a large man with orange hair. "Huh?" asked Sora, still dazed. "The ball!" he shouted back, pointing towards their ball. Sora nodded and ran to the ball. He kicked at it, but missed. While the ball rolled only a few feet, Sora fell back several feet as the group erupted in laughter. Sora was terribly embarrassed, but as he sat up, the laughter stopped and he saw a helping hand from a smiling man with orange hair. "You alright?" he asked as he pulled Sora up. "Ya, I'm ok." responded Sora. Then he regained his head and asked, "Where are we?" "Welcome to Besaid Island, home of the Besaid Orachs!" he responded as the team cheered from down the beach. "You must have come to see the summoner." "Uhh. well, actually." started Sora. "Yes, yes we did. Where is the summoner now?" cut in Zidane, leaving no slack to pick up for Sora. "Yuna. well, she's probably in the temple entertaining guests. Enjoy your stay! Oh, by the way, I'm Wakka." "Nice to meet you, I'm Zidane and this is Sora," stated Zidane kindly. "I suppose that I'll be seeing you around," stated Wakka, as he waved, running down the beach. And so the two set off through the jungle. There was a noticeable path that was carved out by many footsteps and torches lined the course. Eventually, after defeating several tiny monsters, the two arrived at a small village that consisted of a few huts and a large stone building at the far end. "This must be Besaid Village," noted Zidane as they walked through the village. "Let's go to the temple, I want to meet this summoner," responded Sora. "A summoner could be of great help on our journey. It's a good idea to see what this is all about."  
  
The pair wandered through the center of the huts, over the ashes of a campfire and up the temple steps. When they emerged inside, it was dimly lit and surrounded on all sides by intimidating statues. In the center was a statue of a beautiful woman holding an intriguing staff of gold. As the two walked around the statue, they ran into a group of people surrounding a woman on the steps. She was telling some sort of story or tale. Sora wasn't really listening and all he heard was something about Sin. The tale seemed to end in sadness however and soon after the group dissipated. Sora walked forward as Zidane began to question some of the listeners. "I missed your story, but I thought that I would come and meet you anyways," stated Sora as he approached her. "It's quite alright, I only tell the story when people ask to hear it. I don't much like it; it's no fairy tale. It's more a tragedy really and I have to constantly remember my own suffering to tell it." she trailed off as she stared towards the sky. "Wait, the story was about you?" Sora asked surprised. "I thought it was just a legend." "No, it's my story. it's all of our stories," she stated and then slightly laughed to herself. "You hear! It wasn't just your story, it was all of our stories!" she exclaimed. "Don't you see Tidus, it was all of our stories!" "Who's Tidus?" Sora asked innocently. "I'm sorry. He's just a dream now, but he was a kind and gentle man, handsome and daring. He risked everything for me, despite the consequences he was already aware of. Had I known I never would have let him go through with it.he sacrificed himself for everyone in this world. All you see before you is only here because of him. That's why Tidus.that's why I'll never forget you my love." "I'm sorry." muttered Sora. "It's OK, he always said that this was his story. the least I can do is to make his story known. Now people all around the world thank me and give me credit for saving them. That's the last thing I want. the last thing I would have wanted. I would have sacrificed the world for him and instead he went and sacrificed himself for the world. You see, I'm no hero. it was always him." she trailed. "Then you. you're Yuna. the summoner that everyone has been talking about." "Yes, I am Yuna. But I'm more of a public figure now than a summoner. You see. when we defeated Sin, I sent the Aeons. So there's nothing left to summon. But nonetheless, if it is the summoner that you seek, I am she." "It's nice to meet you, I'm Sora, and Zidane's the one talking over there."  
  
Sora turned and looked at the statue and then back at her. She half smiled and then asked him, "Is there anything that I can do for you?" "I'm not sure, but you see, I'm on somewhat of a quest myself. I've also lost someone, but not completely lost. She's on a planet far away, but I need to find out how to get there and I also need to find something called a Keyblade to help me." explained Sora. "I don't know if there's anything we can do to help you, but if there's any way to change fate and find this Tidus fellow, we'd be sure to find it on our journey." "You mean. you really think that there's a way to revive Tidus. Normally I'd just dismiss the thought as desperate hope, but for some reason this feels different. I feel like I can trust you, like with you my dream could live again. Please let me come along with you. Maybe, together we can find what we're looking for." "Yuna, I would be honored if you would accompany me and Zidane. but we still will have to find that Keyblade before we leave here." "Hmmm.Keyblade. a strange man came around here awhile ago wielding a strange key-shaped weapon. He attacked the village, but thankfully Wakka and I were able to trick him into a trap. We locked him up in the labyrinth beneath this temple. If you want to look for that weapon, I can show you the way. But the labyrinth has become very dangerous lately, I think it has something to do with that man. If you're willing, I'll lead you through and we can find this Keyblade." "Show us the way!" exclaimed Sora as Zidane jogged up. "OK Sora, I found a lot out and I think that the best thing to do would be to find this summoner Yuna. All of the people think very highly of her and she may know something that could help us," stated Zidane as he looked around. Sora just laughed he explained the whole situation to Zidane. Within no time, the three had prepared themselves and stood in front of the sealed door. As Yuna muttered some words they didn't understand, a black mist sprayed from all sides of the door. As the door faded into nothing, the trio peered down the dark gloomy hallway. Yuna grabbed a torch from the wall and led them into the tunnel.  
  
The three hadn't gone any further than fifty paces when Sora noticed something beginning to happen. He notified the group and Zidane was almost instantly in trance mode. Sora also quickly powered up, but his ability to transform fully was nowhere near Zidane's. Sora was powered up, but he was not even as strong as Zidane, and nowhere near his capacity. Yuna also prepared as the mist swirled around them. Suddenly the mist took forms and several large Heartless now filled the corridor. Zidane shouted, "Go!" as he rushed at one of the beasts. The Heartless were bulky but quick, they wielded large dark swords and emanated a mysterious energy. Zidane tore quickly towards the first Heartless; after a short battle of swords, the Heartless fell. At the same time, Sora had sprinted towards the other Heartless and though the Heartless tried to defend the attack with it's weapon, the Keyblade shattered the sword and sent the beast sailing backwards, reducing it to a pile of ashes. Sora seemed amazed at his own power. "The Keyblade is absorbing power from it's brother nearby. The second blade is definitely here. Let's keep moving," remarked Zidane. "Wait," said Yuna as she paused for a moment. "I don't think I can do much in a physical battle, and my summons are gone, but my white magic should be effective against these dark creatures. Watch." Yuna held her staff out in front of her. Suddenly a small spark of light appeared, then it grew larger and larger until it almost filled the hall. Next she released the blast down the hall and as it went it eradicated any trace of darkness that covered the walls or floated in the air. The holy blast seemed to have cleared the path for the adventurers and they peacefully worked through the labyrinth for a time. Yuna aided them in solving the puzzles of the maze and in no time they had neared the center. As they walked towards the door to the former Aeon, the former dark mist floated from the doorway. "That is where he must be." stated Yuna.  
  
Slowly and cautiously they approached the door. As they neared, they heard a low, sinister laughter. Then it got louder. and louder. Suddenly, a black wind flew from the doorway and began to form up behind the party. Finally, the mist was gone and a man kneeled with his head down behind them. He wore a dark hood and cape. As he stood, he pulled back the hood, revealing his head and sinister face. His hair was blue and indescribable in its design. He looked up, smiled, and said, "Hello Yuna." She gasped as she saw his face; it was his evil plans that had worked against her many times. She uttered, "Seymour!" Out of the air, he pulled a blue weapon that looked at first like a jagged piece of ice, but after a few seconds, Sora realized that it was a manifestation of the Keyblade. The trio drew their own weapons and prepared for the fight. "I am reborn!" shouted Seymour as he swung out his arms. He rushed the group and although Zidane was in trance, one blow dashed him into the wall. "All too easy!" exclaimed Seymour. He went right past Sora to Yuna, who he took into the air as he levitated upwards. "I'll give you a chance, Yuna. Join me and I'll let your friends live," he bargained. "Never!" she exclaimed as she gave him a powerful kick to the nuts and dropped to the ground. He fell to the ground in pain. "I'll never join you. you monster," she stated. He stood in pain, but stated, "Now you little boyfriend isn't here to save you and neither are your Aeons. You will be mine, by your choice or my force!" Sora then exclaimed, "Not if I can help it!" as he leapt towards Seymour, glowing with the power of trance. Seymour swung, but the blade didn't move Sora. Sora then pulled his Keyblade and scored a hit in Seymour's side. He bent over in pain and Sora smashed him across the face with the key. Seymour fell to the ground and lay in a crumpled heap. Sora approached to see if he was still living, but as he did, Seymour swept his feet form under him and smashed him full force into the wall. Yuna screamed in fear as Sora fell and Seymour approached her smiling. She quickly used her energy to heal Sora, who stood, but Seymour slapped her to the ground in anger. "Are you sure that you don't wish to give up boy, it is clear that you stand no chance against me." As Sora stood, the full power of his trance surrounded him. His clothes had again changed to the sleek golden attire and he glowed with a magnificent power.  
  
"You don't understand, you're fighting for yourself, but I fight for another. And it is for her that I will defeat you! It's for her that I will never fail!" he exclaimed. He rushed Seymour who was having difficulty standing against Sora's blows, much less launching some of his own attacks. He was quickly falling and Sora weakened him with every blow. As Sora raised his weapon for the final attack and Seymour attempted to block from his knees, Yuna charged up another holy attack and blasted it into Sora's Keyblade. As Sora swung, the holy-charged Keyblade sliced through the strange ice blade and Seymour himself, who yelled and then dissipated into ash. Zidane struggled up and Yuna staggered over. The temple lit up once again and on the ground lay a small blue keychain. It pulsed with a strange energy, but Sora showed no hesitation when he clipped it onto his Keyblade. He felt energy rush through not only the Keyblade, but also himself. But before he could do anything else, a tear opened in the walls of space and time themselves. Sora and his companions were sucked into the rift and it sealed as they were carried through.  
  
When Sora awoke, he lay on a soft bed of straw. He was looking into several pairs of deep blue eyes. As they backed up, he saw that the eyes belonged to a boy with blue hair and a bandana and pretty blond girl with a ponytail. "He's finally awake." stated the blonde girl. The boy nodded in agreement as Sora sat up in the bed and looked around. 


	10. Crossover

"Where am I?" questioned Sora as he judged his surroundings. "You're in Ahni Village, mate," stated the blonde. "Ahni? Is that a planet?" he asked confused. "No mate, it's an island. Part of the Archipelago. say, you new around here?" responded the girl. "You could say that. wait, where are my friends. I was traveling with several others, have you seen them?" asked Sora in fear. The blonde girl looked over at her blue haired companion and asked, "You seen em Serge?" The boy shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. "Sorry fella, we ain't seen em. but this part of the island ain't too big; we'll help you find em. Oh, by the way, I'm Kid, this here is Serge," explained Kid. "I'm Sora, it's nice to meet you. And thanks for helping me," responded Sora. "We may as well head out and start looking now, that'll give us at least a good half day to search. So get ready and meet us outside in a few," said Kid as she and Serge walked down the stairs to the first floor of the hut. Sora checked his weapon and made sure that it was in working order before heading outside to meet the other two.  
  
"So, where should we start?" asked Sora. "Where did you find me?" "Where was it. oh ya, Opassa Bea.ch." trailed Kid as she looked at Serge, who buried his head in his hands. "I hadn't thought of that Serge. looks like we better prepare for a little longer journey." "What do you mean? What's wrong with Opassa Beach?" questioned Sora, not understanding. "Well, you'll see when we get there. it's just not a normal beach. Serge, while you're in there make sure you grab the what-cha-ma-call-it." Serge nodded as he headed into the house and emerged with an armful of weapons armor and some strangely glowing blocks. The three donned the armor and Serge and Kid began picking up the blocks and organizing them in slots on the armor. "What're those?" he asked. "These? You've never seen em? They're called Elements and they allow us to control the powers of nature to fight our enemies," she explained. "Oh, so it's like magic," he responded. "Kinda, just take some. Make sure that you get a balance of everything, although I suggest that you get a lot of white elements, we've been running into a lot of powerful black element creatures lately. Plus, it looks like your innate color is white. just like Serge." So after thoroughly confusing himself, Sora eventually got the block organized in a way that Kid deemed acceptable. Kid explained further how they worked and Sora understood pretty well how to use them. So the three set off for Opassa Beach.  
  
As Sora walked over the beach towards the water, he felt his whole body seemingly getting crushed under some strange force. He jumped back and looked at the ground. There, where he had stood, was a small black vortex in the sand. "Wrong hole, friend," said Kid as she and Serge walked over a small pink vortex across the beach. Sora jogged over. Serge pulled out the Time Egg, and just as the vortex opened, Poshul ran up yelling "Sergipoo!!!!!!!" Poshul ran to the group and was pulled into the vortex with them. As the portal closed, Sora, Serge, Kid, and Poshul were sucked into the swirling vortex and thrown through time. However, the portal was not headed to The Devourer of Time as Kid had intended, instead, the group found themselves on a stone platform where stars and constellations surrounded them. On all sides, the darkness continued to infinity and on the platform, there were many vortexes just like the one they had entered. "POSHUL! YOU IDIOT!" screamed Kid as she punted the deranged pink dog into the endless darkness. "That alone made this trip worth it." stated Kid when she had calmed down. Serge nodded in agreement to Kid. Not far away, the group noticed a small set of stairs and a strange gate. They followed this path until they reached a central room, where a red-haired swordsman, a tomboy in a blue jumpsuit, and a purple-haired girl with glasses stood talking to a man who appeared asleep. "Big sis. Lucca!" shouted Kid with joy. "It's really you!" "Kid? Is that you? How did you end up here?" questioned Lucca, hugging Kid.  
  
Kid explained the whole story of what had happened in their time and everything up until where they were. Kid told of the Heartless and of Sora's quest along with her own. Lucca listened intently and when Kid had finished, Lucca told their story. Once all the storytelling was finished, which came to 4 hours and 7 minutes in total, Serge walked over to Crono. The two looked at each other quizzically until after about thirty seconds, they both simultaneously extended their hands and shook heartily. "I think that's the deepest conversation that either of them's ever had." noted Marle, the tomboy in blue from earlier. "That's the truth." replied Kid. "But why did we end up here?" "That's easy to explain, whenever 4 or more people enter a time gate, they're brought here, to the End of Time," stated Lucca. "So how do we get out?" asked a concerned Sora. "Someone has to stay here." she stated, saddened. "No. We can't. We have to go find my friends; they were lost somewhere in time. There has to be some other way." Everyone dropped their heads and started thinking. Sora rubbed his head in thought. Lucca seemed to be counting numbers on her fingers. Kid eventually got fed up and started banging her head with what she had in her hand. Suddenly, Lucca shouted out "Kid!" "What? What'd I do?" she responded quickly. "That thing you've got in your hand. The Time Egg! We can use that to get out of here. Give that to me," she said. Kid handed over the Time Egg and Lucca pulled out hers. She quickly went to work, combining the power of the two into her ultimate invention, the Time Wand. She presented it to the group and explained how its amplified power could take the group anywhere they wanted, with as many people as they wanted. They all celebrated briefly, then Sora broke the mood by asking, "Where do we start?"  
  
"Well." said Lucca. "In my experience, time holes usually draw people into the area of least resistance. In this world, I guess that would have to be." "The Day of Lavos, 1999," finished Marle. "Everything seems to be drawn to that point. We must go and face Lavos. I'm sure that we'll find your friends." "Then let's go!" exclaimed Sora. "We need to prepare first," said Kid. Turning to Crono and his crew, she said, "In my time, you have already defeated Lavos, that future does not exist. I know we can win." So the group prepared for the fight ahead. Lucca decided to stay behind at the End of Time to try and figure out some way to locate the Heartless that she heard of. Marle and Kid were to go to the end of time, but the fight was going to be done by Sora, Crono, and Serge, all the mightiest warriors of their worlds. So when all preparation had been done, the Time Wand was used to shred the walls of time in the barrel at the End of Time. As the five emerged, Sora spotted Zidane and Yuna sitting on the ground, unconscious. Then, before he could take even one step towards them, the ground between them split. From the giant rift, a terrible monster rose, firing blasts of destruction that covered the planet. Sora and the two silent warriors ran forward towards the shelled monster, beginning a surely long battle. Lavos looked different than what anyone remembered. He was fully black, it was a color that Sora recognized, it was the color of the Heartless. Before long, a giant crest of a broken heart appeared on top of Lavos' shell.  
  
Sora didn't have time to waste, he concentrated and shortly he was in his trance mode. His body glowed as his Keyblade struck the apparent mouth of the monster. The blow struck with such force that some of the invincible shell around the mouth shattered. However, just before it faded into dust, the mouth let out something of a laugh. Sora quickly whipped around to see a black mist forming around Marle and Kid. As they tried to run or move, the mist devoured them and disappeared. Serge and Crono fell to their knees. Then, almost simultaneously, the two leapt to their feet and rushed the shell. All three fighters swung at almost the same moment. Under the unbearable pressure that the team exerted, the Lavos shell imploded, leaving nothing but a light dust where it had been. From that dust however, a dark humanoid figure armed with a Keyblade that had two floating masses next to it. "This must be Lavos true form," stated Sora. He armed himself and then looked to both sides where he could see his two partners ready to fight. In a connection that can only be described as telepathic, the three planned their next attack, a triple technique, the ultimate triple technique. the Luminaire Blast. Sora charged first, leaping high into the air. Next, Crono and Serge, who had positioned themselves on either side of Lavos, unleashed the most powerful Luminaire attacks that their bodies could handle. The two shots hit each other above Lavos head, and as it looked up, it had just enough time to see Sora fly straight through the blasts. When he became visible again, the golden gladiator had pulled in the full force of the Luminaire techniques into his Keyblade. It now glowed with a force as almighty as himself. He descended quickly, and in one swing, he struck all three monsters. They just stood at first but then a brilliant white light took over their bodies, in seconds reducing them to little more than ash. When all settled and Sora had returned to his normal form, the three victors walked over to Zidane and Yuna, who they awakened.  
  
"I guess that you two'll be coming with us then," stated Sora. Crono and Serge nodded. All five stood valiantly next to the crater, the wind blowing in their faces.  
  
"Let's go!" exclaimed Sora as he leapt down the hole. The others followed, not knowing what Sora saw that they didn't, but just trusting. As they began to feel the wild heat, Sora pointed his Keyblade downward, opening a mystical gateway to another world. None of them knew what awaited them on the other side. Sora had regained two of the Keyblades already. He was at one-half of the potential of the Blade, and he could feel that power building. When the darkness faded and Sora looked around him, he saw mechanical wonders all around. There were towers and trains, power plants and people of all sorts, and one more thing.there, standing, staring into the sky was someone he recognized. It was a man with blonde hair. He wore a dark purple suit and a darker black cape. As he turned to face Sora, his blue eyes shone in the moonlight. Cloud Strife was clearly no ordinary man. 


	11. Ghost of the Past

Cloud stood, staring towards the tall buildings and what glimpse you could get of the sky. Sora spotted him and hurried over towards him. "Cloud! Hey!" he exclaimed. "Sora. you've come at a bad time I'm afraid, the Heartless here have grown in power. Worse, they've taken Aeris. I swore I'd never lose her again, but I've failed." responded Cloud. "We'll help you. We're trying to find our way back to Kingdom Hearts, through the Hollow Bastion." "An interesting group you've put together here. Oh well, sign me up; I need to find Aeris, I'll do whatever it takes to get there." "Any idea where to start looking? We need to find a Keyblade here before we leave." "I'm not really sure, but two strange things have happened. Both Emerald Weapon and Sephiroth have been revived. If these things are that powerful, then I'd say that those two are the targets." "Sephiroth." repeated Sora, remembering the battle he had undertaken and barely survived. Sephiroth had been as difficult an opponent as Ansem himself, now endowed with the awesome power of a Keyblade, he would be nearly unstoppable. "Where cane we find them? "Well, let's prepare for Emerald first, he should be the more beatable of the two. We'll have to go under the ocean. Make sure that you're ready, he's weaker of the two, but still no pushover." So the group prepared themselves. Sora, Cloud, and Zidane were going to battle. So they took the Highwind, the great flying ship, pride of Cid Highwind, product of Shinra Inc. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. They reached Junon and took the submarine to reach the Emerald Weapon.  
  
"There he is!" exclaimed Cloud. "He's huge!" proclaimed Sora. The three quickly approached Emerald. He indeed wielded a Keyblade, many times increased in size. He was no longer green like one might expect of something called Emerald, but he was the black color of the Heartless. A broken heart spanned his giant chest. He swung his giant Keyblade towards the group, missing them, but sending them all sprawling from the force of the water. Sora managed to evade being flung aside like his two partners and he swung his own Keyblade at Emerald's hand. The attack was almost worthless and Sora was knocked away. When he recovered, Sora knew what he had to do. He focused his mind on Kairi in danger; suddenly, his body entered Trance Mode, amplifying his power several times. He again rushed the Emerald Weapon, striking it in the chest and sending it toppling back into the ocean bed. It rose quickly back up, swinging powerfully towards the group. All three were hit viciously. Sora and Zidane were both sent flying into the seabed. But Cloud suddenly changed, his movements quickened, he recovered almost instantly and rushed at Emerald. Sora and Zidane awoke just in time to watch Cloud unleash a fury of attacks against Emerald. The final slash sliced straight down the center of the Weapon, splitting it in two. Sora and Zidane both dropped their jaws in awe, which turned out to be a mistake as they accidentally inhaled a good deal of the water. The black color that surrounded the Emerald Weapon faded and the dark green returned to it once more. The massive Keyblade shrunk down to normal sizes and Sora, after rediscovering how to breathe, gathered up the keychain and reattached it to his blade. The power of the Keyblade was every day returning to normal.  
  
They reboarded the submarine and rose to the surface. At Junon, they entered the Highwind. When they flew over the snowy north glacier, the sky began to darken. The ship sunk into the large crater in the ground, slowly descending into what seemed to be eternal darkness. They slowly made their way through the crater, battling off creatures of all shapes and sizes. Most of them were fairly weak, but some of the monsters that had been greatly powered up by the power of the Heartless. As they grew nearer the center, they could all sense some terrible presence anticipating their arrival. From the center of the crater, a thick black mist swirled out. "That's where he is." stated Cloud. "Let's go," commanded Sora.  
  
"Wait, put this on first," responded Cloud, passing several small colored orbs over to the two other party members. "What is it?" he asked. "Materia, each orb holds the power of the Ancients. Just equip it. With the green you'll be able to cast all sorts of powerful magical spells. The red lets you summon creatures. Yellow allows you to use a lot of different skills. Just take one of each, they're all master Materia. It'll help," explained Cloud. "So you're telling me that if I put this on I'll just know how to do all of these things?" asked Zidane. "I don't know how it works, I just know it does. Put it on, you'll see." So they all equipped themselves with Materia. After they were properly equipped, they felt a newfound power flow through them. They were ready to take on Sephiroth. So the descended down the final pathway into the heart of the crater. When they emerged, they found themselves not at the heart of the planet, but rather in the black void where Cloud had faced Sephiroth in their final showdown. There was nothing but darkness all around them. In front of them, he stood. Sephiroth stared at the group, his green eyes piercing their very beings. His silver hair blew back with a mysterious force. His shirt was off. Around him swirled combined green and black winds of energy. At his side he wielded the Masamune, his terrible and awesome blade of destruction. It was changed, clearly endowed with the power of the Keyblade, but no less menacing or dulled. He appeared nothing less than invincible.  
  
"You! And you!" exclaimed Sephiroth, gesturing first towards Cloud and then Sora. "At last I shall have my revenge!" "Sephiroth! I destroyed you here the last time we fought and Sora defeated you in the Coliseum. How did you come back into this world?" demanded Cloud. "It's quite simple, defying death is a simple task for me so long as that Ancient doesn't interfere. It was because of her that I was banished in the first place and now that she's been captured by the Heartless, I'm free again. So I'm here to stop your journey. Your quest ends here, without all the Keyblades, you don't stand a chance against Ansem. You won't even be able to defeat me without her help," Sephiroth stated, entering his battle stance. Sora, Cloud, and Zidane also armed themselves. Cloud rushed first, the Ultima Weapon being easily deflected by Sephiroth. Sora and Zidane joined in, swinging mercilessly at Sephiroth. He simply parried every swing, not receiving a single scratch. All three swung towards him at the same time, but the sheer length of the Masamune allowed him to defend them all. He swung it once, throwing all three to the ground and knocking their weapons away. "You should give up; just accept your deaths quietly and it will be quite painless," taunted Sephiroth. "I'll never give up! Not against you, not against anyone!" exclaimed Cloud, leaping to his feet. The attacks had forced him to his Limit Break. He charged Sephiroth with unparalleled speed, and unleashed his ultimate technique, Omnislash, slashing his opponent over and over. When the dust cleared, Cloud stood in the center, his Limit again filling while Sora and Zidane stood in glowing with the power of Trance at both of his sides. Sephiroth was leaning on his sword; clearly the Omnislash had hit its mark. But Sephiroth was far from finished, the black and green mists focused, sinking into his body. His muscles bulged and across his chest, the sign of the Heartless emerged. He stood up and raised his sword.  
  
Sora began to rush forward, but Cloud held out his arm to stop him. "This is my fight Sora. I know that you can beat him together, so if I should fall, you and Zidane must carry on. But this is a fight that I must try alone." Cloud walked towards Sephiroth slowly, shouldering his Ultima Weapon. He swung, Sephiroth blocked. Sephiroth thrust several quick times, scoring only one blow on Cloud's side. However, Cloud was quickly back on his feet and with several sideways slashes, he knocked Sephiroth off balance. He swung quickly downward, slicing through Sephroth's chest and hurling him to the ground. It was clearly a fatal wound. But suddenly, Sephiroth rose, the gaping gash in his chest pouring out black mist. The wound quickly healed; Sephiroth was again at full strength. Sephiroth began walking towards Cloud, who fired off several Ultima spells, power that should have at least slowed him down. He just kept on coming.  
  
Cloud was running out of options, an attack that should have destroyed Sephiroth had done nothing. His best attempt had been nothing for Sephiroth to heal. Cloud was running out of ideas. Then he realized it; he discovered the source of his opponent's power. Sephiroth practically flew towards Cloud, who could only try to defend the onslaught. The perplexing pattern of attacks began to overwhelm Cloud, who was looking for his chance to strike. When Sephiroth tried to cross-slash, Cloud swung. The swords sparked brightly, the two men pushing against each other, only a foot between them. After a few seconds, they were both thrown back. They landed on their feet, both instantly rushing back at each other as soon as they landed. Their swings were simultaneous and they landed past each other. Both stood, backs to each other and time seemed to stand still. Then suddenly, Cloud fell to a knee, grasping his stomach in pain. Sephiroth laughed. Then, suddenly, a bright light began to pour from Sephiroth's chest. Sephiroth turned to look at Cloud, who stared back at him. Cloud held out his hand, revealing a small keychain that had been cut from the base of Sephiroth's sword. Cloud's Ultima Weapon had a strange glow to it, a white and green light swirled around it. The light on the sword seemed to come from a small attached green and white orb. It was the same light that seemed to be pouring from Sephiroth. Sephiroth spoke. "Holy." he choked out. "Curse you, Cloud Strife! Curse you and that Ancient! You may think you've won, but I'll be back. The bonds of death cannot hold me!" The light encompassed his entire body, lifting him off of the ground, spreading his arms and legs. Then, it erupted in a brilliant flash that obliterated the seemingly eternal darkness in which they stood.  
  
Cloud called out "Hey Sora!" as he tossed the silver, sword-shaped keychain. "Thanks," responded Sora, catching the keychain and attaching it to the Keyblade. The Keyblade seemed to shine more and more with every keychain. This fourth keychain along with his Keyblade meant that there was only one Keyblade left to find. Sora had gathered many fighters on this journey. Zidane, Yuna, Crono, Serge, and now Cloud accompanied the young warrior. His journey was passing quickly, but there was still much to do. They were all tired from the trials thus far, and they decided to rest for the night. They all set up tents around a campfire. It was a busy night, techniques where shared, equipment and material was passed around, many things were learned. Cloud taught Limit Breaks, shared material, Zidane demonstrated the secrets of Trance, and Serge silently gave up some of his Elements. When it was all over, they were all very prepared but very tired. It was getting late and Sora couldn't sleep. He sat by the dying campfire, staring deep into the burning embers. 'Kairi,' he thought. 'I'm coming for you Kairi. I'll find you, wherever you are.' Zidane emerged from his tent. "What're you doing Sora? It's late." "I know," Sora responded. "I was just thinking." "About her?" asked Zidane. Sora nodded. "Tell me about her. I want to hear about her, she has to be pretty special to make you travel so far to find her." "She is pretty special, but I wish that I had realized it sooner. It wasn't until I lost her that I figured out just how amazing she is." "You don't know what you've got until you don't have it anymore." "Yeah.I wish I wouldn't have been so dumb. I mean, she's perfect. Light purplish hair and the deepest blue eyes you could imagine. She's the sweetest girl that I've ever met, playful and kind. We grew up together. I don't know if she feels the same as me, but I've felt it for a long time. I'm sure that you'll love her when you meet her," said Sora, as he seemed to again fade into a dream world. "We've all got someone we're fighting for. everyone is here for that reason. That's where we have to draw our strength from. We just have to think of who we're fighting for and that's why we keep going." "You're right." He yawned. "I'm going to sleep. I've got stuff to think about. I'll see you in the morning." Sora wandered off to his tent; his sleep would be well-deserved. The keyhole was easily visible in the now white room. The next day would be a difficult one. They would travel on and soon, they would undoubtedly meet Ansem. Their journey was nearly at an end. 


	12. Confrontation

Sora found himself on the soft white sand beach of Destiny Island. Down the beach he saw an endless sea of deep blue, rolling with gentle waves. Further out, he could see the point where the blue sea met the blue sky. It was a clear day, completely cloudless save for the a few large fluffy clouds that floated nimbly along. But he couldn't focus on any of that, there was something more beautiful still - a young girl with intense azure eyes. They seemed to steal the very essence from the sea and sky, surpassing the color of the others. She looked at him and smiled, her purple hair waving in the soft ocean breeze. She waved. He ran towards her. "Kairi!" he shouted in joy. "Kairi!" "Sora!" she greeted back. He hugged her tightly. They talked for awhile about many things, eventually being content just to gaze out over the vast, beautiful ocean. Sora was too awed by her to even consider revealing his true feelings or even move much closer to her. He was too afraid that he would say something wrong, upset her. After awhile, he looked over at her and decided he had to speak. "Kairi! I still can't believe that it's really you. I've been searching for you for so long. I had this terrible dream, or vision maybe, that Ansem was after you and so I came searching. But I've finally found you." "What're you talking about? You're always joking around Sora!" she laughed.  
  
He realized that what'd he'd just said didn't make much sense even to him. Then, something came over him suddenly. Sora suddenly stood up, took both of Kairi's hands and held them in his. He had no idea what he was doing. He was in way over in his head. But he didn't tell her the last time how he felt, maybe if he didn't tell her now it would be another eternity. He stuttered, "Kairi. I've got. something I want to tell you... I've been thinking a lot since our last adventure, and well.. I uh. I have to tell you." Sora was still trying to choke out words when the sky went dark. Behind smiling, unsuspecting Kairi, a dark figure rose. There he was, the mighty and awful man who controlled the Heartless, Ansem. The black mist swirled up around both Ansem and Kairi. Ansem grabbed Kairi and dragged her down into the eternal darkness. He tried to move but found himself frozen in place. He could only watch as the girl he had only just seen again disappeared into a deep void. "Kairi!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. He sat up quickly, awakening in a cold sweat. 'What just happened? Was it a dream? Was that just a horrible nightmare? I've got to get a hold of myself,' he thought. 'But why have I had that dream more than once? There's something more to this. We've got to hurry on.' "Sora? You ok?" called Zidane from the next tent. "I'm ok. yeah, I'll be alright," he called back, wiping the sweat from his forehead. He could no longer sleep, so he went outside to sit near the now extinguished campfire. Zidane joined him, it was already late in the morning, but in the eternally white room, there would be no way to know. After not too long, the rest of the party joined him there. "Today may be the day. This Keyblade has been leading me through these worlds intentionally. It is becoming one again. There is only one blade remaining. The only place that this keyhole can lead us is to the next blade. I have no doubt that beyond this hole we will find Ansem and then end of our journey. Once we find him, the Keyblade will be united and I'm sure that we'll be able to find a way to bring back all of the people we've been searching for. If anyone wants to leave, I'll understand. The danger beyond us is unimaginable. The battles that we've fought so far have been nothing compared to what is to come. Ansem controls the power of the Heartless; everything up to now has just been part of his plan. He has a Keyblade and he'll be more powerful than ever. Let's go!" he commanded. Sora stood and began walking towards the keyhole. He materialized the Keyblade out of the air and swung it over his shoulder. It seemed that every enemy was getting easier as the power of the Keyblade increased. The Emerald Weapon had suffered from its attacks and since, the blade had recovered almost its total power. As he walked, Zidane and Cloud proudly joined at his side. Not far behind, Yuna ran up and followed Sora. Serge and Crono walked slightly more to the side and behind Zidane and Cloud. Each warrior wielded their own ultimate weapon. The weapons shone in the bright white light all around. Sora broke into a run, pointing his Keyblade towards the keyhole. As it sealed up, the six valiant soldiers ran through.  
  
As his run slowed to a walk, Sora found himself looking up into a dark black and purple sky. A great castle stood on top of a floating rock. A waterfall poured down the cliff side. Many floating rocks formed a staircase to the castle. The clouds swirled all around, the castle seeming to be the central axis. As the remaining members of the group emerged, they all stared in awe at both the immense beauty and terror that was the castle. They had finally arrived; they had reached the Hollow Bastion. "This is it." said Sora softly. He began his assent towards the castle. The climb was rigorous. He eventually reached a mid level platform, where an arch and broken rubble of a staircase decayed. Sora remembered back, this is where he lost his Keyblade to his best friend Rikku. While he was staring into the distance, he failed to notice the dark black blobs that were creeping up around the edges of the platform. Up until now, they had faced little resistance from the Heartless. Since they left Traverse Town, there had been few battles of significance, just the same types of weak creatures that Sora had faced on his first journey. However, things were about to change, the trip to Hollow Bastion would not be so simple. The platform that Sora was on shifted suddenly and violently, almost hurling him downward; after another moment, Sora watched as all of the platforms in front of him fell to the earth. He ran and grabbed tightly onto the archway, seconds later, he was freefalling towards the jagged rocks and water below. Behind him, he heard the screams of his friends as the platforms on which they stood plummeted downward. In a triumphant crash, water sprayed upward and the rocks strangely created a level platform. The waterfall that flowed off the castle now swept over the new riverbed, forming shallow inch stream flowing over the warriors. Sora rose first, shaking the water out of his ears. He turned to see most of his friends already sitting up and trying to stand. They were all rubbing their heads; the impact had been tremendous and despite some bumps and bruises, they had all emerged virtually unharmed. However, the worst was still yet to come.  
  
"You all OK?" called back Sora. A variation of muttered responses confirmed that everyone was in one piece. By the time they stood, the water had risen slightly; it was now about ankle deep. A thick mist covered the area; the falling rock had sprayed up a good deal of water and the waterfall sprayed up more. Then, without warning, the ground began to vibrate, not a gentle rumble, but one that made it as though the entire planet was going to shake itself apart. "Bad day!" yelled Sora, his voice shaking to the rhythm of the quake. After a sort time, the shaking stopped almost instantly. Everyone wondered what was happening, but no one could see anything. All of a sudden, hundreds of pairs of red eyes began to glow from the mist. As the massive figures marched, all of the members of the party were quickly up, standing at Sora's side, armed and ready. "So they've been waiting." stated Sora. "That's why we haven't seen any this whole time? They've been building an army?!" questioned a shocked Zidane. "Yeah." stated Sora. "Even obtaining all of the Keyblades up to now, it was just a distraction so the Ansem could build up his power. I'm sure that he had all of the other blades; he just sent them to other planets to keep us from the real goal. We've been played for fools." "HA! Right you are my little fool!" scoffed a deep and powerful voice from the front of the enemy lines. "The Keyblade wasn't the goal. It was just a distraction. I've been gathering my forces here, awaiting your arrival. You see, the real prize lies within Kingdom Hearts itself. I've found the second door, my boy! Once I control what is within, I control the world. I have the sixth and seventh blades and most importantly I will soon have the true key." "Seventh Keyblade?" demand Sora, shocked. "Yes, it is a mirror image of King Mickey's that I can use since he's not here," he responded with a sinister grin. "I possess both the dark Keyblade that Rikku's hate created and that one, none of the others matter, with just these two, I can conquer the universe. Do you wish to see the key?" He clasped his hands together, spreading them, creating an image that revealed the face of a girl, young, with beautiful blue eyes and purple hair. She stared peacefully out towards the ocean. "Sora. I know that you'll come for me." she said serenely as she closed her eyes and folded her hands. "Kairi!" Sora shouted. He ran towards the image, arm outstretched, but Ansem waved his hand through the image, dispersing it. "Oh. I am sorry." said Ansem smugly. "And it was such a touching reunion too. Well, if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with destiny." He turned and pulled out the sinister black Keyblade and swung it through the air. Lighting flew from the spot he swung as a rift opened in the wall of space. Ansem stepped through. A soft breeze smelling of salt blew past Sora. He ran towards the rift; he couldn't miss this chance. He dove at the hole as it was closing quickly. The last of the distortion closed and Sora rolled painfully on the rock, having missed his chance.  
  
He remembered his dream. He thought of Ansem taking up Kairi and using her for his evil purposes. He looked up, finding himself looking at the legs of the Heartless army. But he wasn't worried about them, he had to reach Kairi. He jumped straight to his feet from his stomach. The water dripped from his body. His eyes were different, they were no longer the innocent eyes that he usually possessed, these eyes were determined, focused, angry. He threw his arms violently out to the side, tossed his head back, and screamed "Ansem!" His body practically lit on fire, he shone more brightly than the sun. He pulled the Keyblade, which possessed the same fire that he did. The Heartless rushed at him. He swung the Keyblade, sending a flying blade of light through their ranks. Having instantly obliterated a quarter of the giant Heartless in the army, the light beam smashed into the rock wall over which the waterfall tumbled. He had far surpasses the power of Trance, in his current state, he held within him the power to defeat the entire Heartless army in moments. But Sora had more important things to worry about. He swung the blade vertically with all of his might, tearing his way through space and time. His gap was much larger than the one that Ansem had created. He tossed the Keyblade over his shoulder and rushed through the hole. Zidane called behind him, "Take care of him Sora! Save her! We'll take care of things here!" He disappeared into the vortex, leaving the five other warriors to fend off the thousands of Heartless that still formed this army. "Get ready kids, we've got quite a battle ahead!" ordered Zidane.  
  
They all drew their weapons; the army was reorganized. Suddenly, it began to march forward. The five warriors quickly entered Trance, following Zidane's lead. They rushed through the ranks, cutting down the Heartless quickly and mercilessly. However, they arrived in a central area where they found themselves surrounded by the rest of the group. Things weren't looking good, but then, Cloud began chanting some unknown language, holding a small red orb in his hand. The sky went dark, then a group of knights came down from the sky, sweeping through the enemy forces and eradicating almost a fifth of the remaining Heartless. No longer surrounded, they again went to work. More and more went down, but eventually, they were backed into a corner. Serge and Crono stepped forward, attacking with a double Luminaire. The fighters again prevailed, knocking out a quarter of the remaining force. The Heartless saw their army falling, without Ansem's leadership, they were child's play to defeat. However, the battle was far from finished, something was happening among the Heartless. All at once they all liquefied. There was nothing left but a black liquid that floated on top of the water. "Did we win?" asked Zidane. "You know it's not that easy," responded Cloud. "Watch." The liquid began to move. It flowed together and swelled up. It began to take shape, first it was just a tall black column. Next, its arms and legs formed. Its muscles bulged. Then the head took shape. It was gigantic, at least the height of the castle. It spread its arms out, stretching. The sign of the Heartless appeared, glowing on chest. "We're in trouble," stated Zidane bluntly. The monster roared and stomped towards the heroes. They could barely manage to avoid it and found themselves diving out of its path constantly. Any attack was nearly worthless against the great beast. But finally, Cloud reached his Limit Break and Yuna achieved Overdrive. With the amplified power of Trance and Limit Break, Cloud attacked one of the legs of the golem. The slashes cut through like a hot knife through butter. The leg was decimated and the golem collapsed, throwing up water with the impact. The golem again melted into liquid only to reform as a smaller version of itself. Yuna used her Overdrive to cast an Ultima spell, since her Aeons had already been released. The blast hit the creature right in the chest, blowing a hole through it and knocking off the arms as well. Reforming again, the creature was only about twice the size of Heartless creature that Sora and Zidane had fought in Traverse Town. The warriors gathered in a line again. "Let's finish this," stated Zidane.  
  
The five rushed it at the same time. Yuna reversed its left knee, Serge severed the other. Crono destroyed the left arm; Cloud, the right. Zidane flipped through the air, the Heartless looking up just in time to see the Ultima Weapon slice between its eyes. Zidane used the force of his flip to cut through vertically down the body of the creature. With a terrible screech, the Heartless split and disappeared into black smoke. "It's up to you now pal," stated Zidane, looking up into the dark sky. In another place, far across the galaxy, Sora was staring up at a clear blue sky. The waves rolled in softly over the crisp blue sea with the gentle salty breeze. Light footprints lead down the beach. Sora suddenly snapped back to attention remembering the reason that he returned here. He had returned to Destiny Island, but this was no time to rejoice. 


	13. True Destiny

Sora stared endlessly in every direction, lost in the beauty of his surroundings. All his efforts up to now had led him to this single moment. This was the reason that he began his journey what seemed so long ago, the reason that he continued it now. He would finally be able to see her. He would finally see Kairi. He looked down and saw the soft, barefooted marks of a young girl and on the same path, a set of larger, deeper footprints. He sprinted down the beach, knowing that Ansem was after the girl that he had been trying to reach for so long. He turned the corner around the huts and hurried through the shack itself. He reached the other side, throwing the door aside and leaping through. He shielded his eyes from the bright sun as he looked over the side beach. There, standing peacefully, watching the waves was someone very familiar. A salty wind drifted in over the gently rolling waves of the crisp blue ocean. It blew by her, brushing her hair back. Something was in that wind, for the very next moment, she turned slowly but resolutely directly in Sora's direction. She also shielded her eyes, attempting to make out the mysterious figure. "Sora? Sora!" she shouted. "Kairi!" he exclaimed, tears almost in his eyes. He leapt from the ledge upon which he stood, kicking up the soft white sand as he dashed down the beach. He caught Kairi and swung her around in a sweet embrace. "Is it really you, Kairi?" asked Sora, afraid that this reality might disappear like the rest. "Of course it's me! Who else would I be?" she joked. "At last." Sora sighed deeply. Then he asked suddenly, "Where is he?" "Where is who? You're acting kinda weird, Sora..." "I'm sorry, you're right. I guess that I was wrong after all. I'm so glad to be back here. I've waited for so long to see you." "I'm glad too. I've been waiting for you, ever since we were separated that day."  
  
"Remember what you told me that day, Kairi? It was what kept me going." She smiled. "Yeah, I said that I would wait for you, for the day you would return." Sora turned to her and looked deep into her eyes. "No. That's not it." He laughed. "I thought something wasn't right. I have to go save the real Kairi!" He drew the Keyblade, thrusting it into the ground. The beach turned purple and then black around the blade. Then suddenly, the world seemed to devour itself. Everything shattered like glass, leaving Sora standing alone in darkness. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, he again found himself on Destiny Island. Everything was exactly the same as it was in the illusionary island he had just left. He didn't have anymore time to waste, he ran to the other beach. He might already be too late, but he didn't want to think about that. He burst through the door. There, on the beach below, Ansem stood, about to grab a seemingly paralyzed Kairi. Her eyes looked white and she stared up into the sky in a daze. A billowing cloud of darkness already surrounded Ansem and Kairi up to their waists. Had he been able to, Sora would have leapt off the ledge. But something was holding was holding him back; some invisible force prevented Sora from moving at all. Only his eyes were still mobile. Fear seethed from his eyes, fear, anxiety, and anger. Something happened next that no one on the beach that day was prepared for. Not Kairi, certainly not Ansem, and most of all, not Sora. As Ansem began to disappear with Kairi, everything seemed to move in slow motion. At that moment, something clicked not only in Sora's head, but his heart as well. It was as if a dam had suddenly been broken and the water rushed, unhindered, from the lake. It was not a Limit Break, not a powerful magic spell, not even Trance; the power that Sora unleashed far surpassed any of these techniques.  
  
Sora threw back his head and screamed in fury. He had forgotten completely about the force that held him. He was already beginning to overcome it. Ansem looked up in shock, surprised to see the boy defeating his barrier. But what Ansem saw next, he couldn't explain, even on the level of understanding that he possessed. From the left side of Sora's chest, a brilliant light shone forth. Its rays first emerged in a thin beam, then widening and diverging and finally forming a brilliant white light that seemed to fill the planet in every direction. Ansem closed his eyes, covering them in pain. He seemed to cower at the power of the light. Just as the light faded, Ansem became all the more terrified. Suddenly, the light was no longer just light; the light surrounded Sora's body, his entire body engulfed in blaze of glory. Ansem's eyes widened, he practically shook with fear. This force was far stronger than the strength of the boy who had defeated him before, Sora as he was did not have the ability to achieve such power. This newfound power was beyond comprehension. It seemed that Sora possessed the power of light itself. Ansem began to turn back towards Kairi. "Ansem!" boomed Sora's powerful voice that seemed to echo off the air itself. He turned his head, but only quick enough to see Sora disappear. Before even a second had passed, Sora had closed the distance between them. The Ultima Keyblade smashed into Ansem's stomach, sending him hurtling over the surface of the water, far beyond the horizon. Sora crouched and took Kairi in his arms. He supported her with one arm and brushed her forehead with his other hand. Her eyes slowly regained their beautiful blue color. The shining image of Sora was the first thing that she saw. "Sora!" she cried out in joy as she threw her arms around his neck. He held her closer and closed his own eyes. "Kairi. are you. ok?" he asked. "I'm fine, thanks to you! . Oh Sora, I knew that you were coming. I felt it," she stated, placing her hand over her heart. "Don't ever forget what I told you, wherever you go, I'm always with you." "It's really you! It's really finally you!" He laid his hands on her shoulders and they became lost in each other's eyes. They didn't need to say anything. It seemed that they both understood what the other was thinking. Each seemed awestruck just to be in the presence of the other. However, Sora then recalled the other reason that he had gone in search of Kairi. He had to tell her. He had to tell her how he felt. He might never get another chance. He didn't want to face the possibility of having to live without telling her his feelings. Sora again pulled her close.  
  
"Kairi." he whispered into her ear. "Hm?" she responded quizzically. "I. Kairi." "What is it, Sora?" "All this time. all I've been able to think about. all I've been able to think about is you!" "Sora." "What I'm trying to say is. I ." Sora was cut short as a strong wind practically blew them over. Dark black clouds moved quickly towards the beach, bringing with them an air of terrible evil. The feeling only intensified as the clouds swirled round, faster and faster until they had formed a tornado. From within the vortex, rays of darkness poured out abundantly until the tornado exploded in a black flash. Ansem floated in the sky, the full power of darkness swirling around his body and an ebony fire pouring from his eyes. "You poor, simple fool!" boomed Ansem's deep voice. "Did you actually think that it would end like that? Did you actually think that you could defeat me? Don't you realize that I control the darkness? And you can never overcome the darkness!" he exclaimed. "Prepare yourself for oblivion!" Sora began to glow that brilliant white light once more and as he drew the Keyblade, it radiated the same light. Ansem floated slowly downward, landing softly as the winds of darkness surrounded him. He drew a terrible and awesome dark Keyblade, like Riku's, only a thousand times more powerful. Both fighters struck a fighting stance.  
  
Kairi stood up and ran behind a rock behind Sora. She peeked around the corner, knowing that this battle could very well decide the fate of not just her, not just Destiny Island, but the entire universe. Ansem suddenly stood up straight, abandoning his stance and laughing to himself. "One more thing," he stated. "I want your friends to see you die!" He snapped his fingers and behind him, two transparent ebony crystals floated above the beach. Donald and Goofy pounded on the surface, fighting for their freedom. Then, more and more crystals appeared. Queen Garnet, Tidus, Marle, Kid, and Aeris all appeared, trapped and powerless. The heroes in the crystals could do nothing but sit by and watch as Sora fought for their and everyone's fate. Ansem smiled then once again resumed his battle stance. Sora and Ansem stood, staring each other down for what seemed like an eternity. Then, in what seemed like the same instant, the two flew towards each other, swinging mightily. The two weapons struck, the opposite powers repelling each other. Sora and Ansem both used this momentum to spin in a circle the reverse direction. The blades again struck, grinding against each other. As Sora and Ansem attempted to gain ground, streaks of lightning flew between the weapons and the warriors themselves. As Kairi looked on from a distance, she saw something strange. An aura surrounded both warriors, pure white light emanated from Sora just as utter darkness was reflected in Ansem. The auras themselves seemed to be fighting. Kairi suddenly realized that this was a battle between the forces of light and darkness themselves. It was no longer Sora and Ansem fighting, it was the power of light against the power of dark. And it seemed to be an equal match. Suddenly the impasse ended and both combatants threw each other back, sliding on the sand. There was no pause, however, and the two rebounded and attacked with such speed and frequency that there was no telling who was winning and who was losing. The blur of black and white ended and both leapt backwards, hunched over and breathing hard.  
  
"Give up boy! Don't you understand that I am invincible?!" exclaimed Ansem. "It's the destiny of your heart, the destiny of all hearts to be consumed by darkness!" "You're wrong! I was once told that the darkness can only conceal the light, it can never consume it. The power of light will never be defeated! You should have realized that when you called upon darkness in Kingdom Hearts and all you found was light. It defeated you once and it will defeat you again!" responded Sora. Even as Sora spoke, something was changing inside of him. His power was growing and by no small margin. Sora's aura grew until it was three times the size of his dark counterpart. It began swirling, until it was moving so fast it seemed that it would consume everything. Sora swung the Ultima Keyblade, even though he was out of reach of Ansem. A blade of light flew towards Ansem, leaving him little time to defend. He blocked with the dark Keyblade, a move that threw him backwards. Sora released five more attacks. Ansem again could only attempt to block and while two blades sailed noticeably wide, three struck home. This combo hurled Ansem to his back, but he quickly scrambled to his feet. Kairi watched carefully. At first she had thought it just her imagination. It was clear that Sora's strength had grown, but when he attacked with the projectiles, she actually thought that Ansem's dark power was decreasing. After he was thrown down, she was sure of it. Sora was winning. However, Ansem was back on his feet and seething with anger. He swung his Keyblade, unleashing a similar dark blade towards Sora. Sora jumped, but the blade still caught him under his feet, pushing him backwards. Suddenly, Sora leapt and flipped backwards off the blade. He immediately landed feet first on the rock and sprung towards Ansem. Sora disappeared after he left the rock. When he was next visible, he drew his Keyblade from his left hip. Just as he reached Ansem, Sora swung the blade through him, launching Ansem into the air behind him. Sora finished through Ansem with his right arm extended sideways, crouched low and staring straight ahead. Ansem dropped onto his head. He fought to stand. He managed it for just a second before falling to his knees. Suddenly, over his almost entirely black body, streaks of white energy ran and branched like rivers. He threw his arms out the side, screaming in agony. His body rose from the ground, the white light pouring from the cracks as he floated there. It got brighter and brighter until in one explosive flash, Ansem was defeated forever.  
  
Sora fell to one knee. He was exhausted. His body had struggled to support the massive amount of energy that he had received. "You see Ansem. You were wrong. The true destiny of the heart lies in light. It exists on purity and thrives on love. You could never beat me because the capacity for love knows no bounds. My heart, the hearts of all those people who dwell in light, have limitless potential." stuttered Sora to the sky. "Sora!" shouted Kairi as she ran to him. "Kairi!" he called back, waving. "Sora, you did it!" she exclaimed, embracing him. "No, it was you," he responded softly. She looked at him puzzled. "What do you mean?" "When I was fighting, all I could think about was you. That's why I was finally able to figure it out. True power has nothing to do with the strength of my heart. That's not where I got all that power. The real power came from you. It was from the combined strength of our hearts, of me and you, of Donald and Goofy, of everyone. All along it was the power of love that gave me strength. I guess what I mean is that I love you Kairi. I've loved you ever since I could understand the feeling." "Sora. I love you too!" she exclaimed as she smiled. "I wanted to tell you for so long! I think I loved you all along too. But I didn't really realize until. well, until I saw what you added to our drawing in the secret spot. I added a little something myself." Sora smiled. "You know, Kairi, I think that just having that drawing has done as much as sharing a real papou fruit. All this time and we were both too afraid to admit our feelings. If only I would have been more courageous sooner. So much lost time, so many moments we can never regain." She leaned over and kissed him. He was so surprised at first that it took him a moment to kiss her back. It was a kiss of innocence, but a kiss of passion and purity. "We'll just have to make up for them all," she said as she smiled. "Aw shucks." Sora heard from behind. He spun around to see Donald and Goofy standing on the beach behind him. "Goofy! Donald! I guess my attacks were on target then," he stated, hugging both of his friends at once. "Yeah, Ansem didn't even notice that those two blades that missed him freed us!" Goofy responded. Sora turned to the side and swung the Keyblade. A blade curved around, striking every crystal and freeing Ansem's captives. As they shook their heads and recovered, Sora shouted, "Come on everyone! Your friends are waiting for you!"  
  
He grabbed Kairi's hand and hurried to the secret spot. Sora looked at Kairi. He grasped her hand tighter and each placed one hand on the door. The frame of the door glowed white for a few moments, then, slowly but steadily, the door opened. Sora stepped aside and gestured for the rest to go. Sora waited for everyone and once they had all passed through, he sealed the Keyhole and went through himself. When he emerged, a vast black door towered in a seemingly grey world. It was the second entrance to Kingdom Hearts. It looked like the first door, but the black color clearly demonstrated that this was the door through which the Heartless were created. Sora and his friends rushed to the door. Sora shouted, "Kingdom Hearts! As servant of the Keyblade, I request entry through your gates! We must save our friends!" It seemed that at once, the door began to grind against the floor with a low crunching sound. As it opened, Sora saw Mickey fighting off giant Heartless. "Sora!" exclaimed Mickey. "Hurry!" Sora darted in and smashed the Heartless that Mickey was fighting while Donald and Goofy ran and bowed before him. "I knew you'd come, Sora. You must have discovered the true power if you're here, right? You must have figured it out," stated Mickey, looking at Kairi. "Yeah, but I can't believe I didn't see it before," he responded. "All that's left to do is to seal the final door to Kingdom Hearts and the darkness will be gone forever!" Mickey said excitedly. Sora nodded, but as Mickey left the room and Sora turned, the ground began to rumble. The door slammed shut and suddenly, a single Heartless, many times the size of the one that Zidane and the others defeated, rose from the floor. It was the last of the Heartless, a combination of all of them. "Seal it!" shouted Sora, pointing the Keyblade at the door. On the other side, Mickey drew the golden Keyblade and pointed it at the door. Kairi cried out to stop, but the door had already begun to disappear. The final door to Kingdom Hearts had been sealed. Kairi knew there was no way out for Sora or Riku. She fell to her knees and covered her face in tears. "We've got to go," stated Donald as everything began to shake violently. Mickey picked up Kairi and the group ran back through the door to Destiny Island. Back on the beach, Mickey drew his Keyblade and slashed downward at the air. It created a small rift, just large enough for the four to escape through. They hurried through and moments later, the gap between dimensions sealed.  
  
Back in Kingdom Hearts, Sora struggled to fight off the beast. Every attack seemed to have no effect as the Heartless regenerated quicker than Sora could damage it. Sora knew that he was in trouble. Meanwhile, at the Hollow Bastion, old friends were reuniting and celebrating, but Kairi was still crying. Quickly, all the warriors and their friends noticed that Sora was missing and the all formed a circle around Kairi. Mickey approached her. "Kairi, we can still help him," Mickey said. "What? How?" she asked in return, drying her tears. "Take this, you know what to do," he stated, handing her the Golden Keyblade. She stood as Mickey returned to the circle. She lifted the Keyblade above her head and shouted, "Sora! Never give up! We're all here, fighting with you! So win this for all of us!" As she finished speaking, the Keyblade disappeared from her hands. She smiled. In Kingdom Hearts, Sora thought he was hearing things. But when he heard Kairi's voice, he knew it was her. What happened next is almost beyond description. Sora began to regain the familiar power of light, but next to him, a golden glow slowly expanded and took form until the golden Keyblade floated mysteriously beside him. Then, Sora watched in amazement as a pair of hands, then arms, then a body, then an entire person clothed in glowing white formed around the golden Keyblade. Next, behind him, more glowing figures appeared, these he recognized. The apparent ghosts behind him were his friends who had accompanied him on his journeys. Not just Goofy and Donald, but Mickey and Kairi, Peter Pan, Zidane, and every other person that had ever offered him their hand in friendship. They all stood as an army of light, ready to follow Sora in his battle. He looked to see the face of the robed figure, but it too was pure white. The mysterious man in the hood nodded his head to Sora and together they charged. The spirit army behind them followed.  
  
The great Heartless attempted to attack the army, but their speed was impossibly quick. No attack from the monster even neared the fighters. They seemingly flew about, darting in and through the Heartless, effectively slicing it to ribbons. As it began to break down, it was getting desperate. The monster swung at Sora and the robed man with its right arm, quickly followed by the left. Sora ducked under the first attack and jumped over the second, landing on the monster's left arm. The masked figure ran up the other arm with almost identical moves to Sora. They ran quickly up the arms of the beast, making their way to its head. Sora shouted, "King of the Heartless, you and your kind have no place in the world to come! Be gone!" He leapt into the air and at the same moment, the white fighter let the golden Keyblade fly. Sora caught it in midair, flipping both Keyblades in his hands so they faced down. He flew downward much quicker than even the spirit army, stabbing the Keyblades directly into the forehead of the great Heartless and turning the keys. The monster fell backwards as Sora leapt to level ground. And as such, the last of the Heartless was defeated; it disappeared into a puff of black smoke, never to destroy a world again. Sora looked at where the door had been. He looked to the robed figure. "Key Barer." began the mysterious one. "You have served the Kingdom in every way needed. For that I thank you. You have destroyed the threat of the Heartless and freed Kingdom Hearts." Sora recognized the voice. It was the voice that had led him all along. The voice, the person whose face he had never seen now stood before him. "Who are you?" Sora asked. The hooded figure raised his hands, grabbing the hood. He slowly lowered it and then cast off the robe entirely. Sora looked in amazement as his long time friend Riku stood before him. "Riku!" Sora exclaimed, running to his friend. "Yeah, it's me. I'm the man behind the mask." "But." began Sora. "How?" Riku said, finishing Sora's sentence. "I can't really explain. When we were locked in Kingdom Hearts, Mickey and I knew that you'd come for us. But we needed to lead you here somehow. Somehow, I was able to create a semi-physical body in the real world. It took time, at first I could only speak without form, but later, I found how to create a true body. And I suppose it worked, because here you are. In finding the true power of light and fulfilling your destiny, you defeated the power of darkness. It was no small victory either. Darkness is seductive. Ansem thought that he was using the darkness for his purpose. In the end, that is impossible. Ansem just turned out to be another pawn, like I once was. But now you've done it, Sora. Like you said, the darkness can only mask the light and now it is powerless. Kingdom Hearts can now produce light in people's hearts that will change the universe."  
  
"If only we could see that universe, we're trapped in here." muttered Sora. "Please Sora, just use the Keyblade," stated Riku. "I already tried; even the projectile light blade can't cut through this dimensional wall." "That's because you're not using the true Keyblade. Take the chain from Mickey's golden Keyblade and cut us out of here." Sora felt fairly stupid about this point, but nonetheless connected the Keychain to his Keyblade. When it connected, the power that Sora felt was unlike any before. He smiled and swung the Keyblade, cutting through dimensions and allowing their escape from the now pure Kingdom Hearts. They both stepped through the cut and it closed behind them. When they emerged, it was to loud cheering. They had arrived at the Hollow Bastion, right amongst their friends. Kairi ran up to Sora and jumped into his arms. She kissed him and smiled, saying, "I knew you could do it." He set her down and she walked over to Riku. She hugged him saying, "Riku, it's been so long. I'm really glad to see you." Sora introduced Riku to all of his friends, even those from his last adventure were there thanks to Cid. Later that night, as the conquering heroes sat on the high balconies of the Bastion, watching the beautiful fireworks that filled the night sky. Sora sat with his legs hanging over the edge and the girl he loved at his side. The night was perfect and a cool breeze blew over the castle. Sora held Kairi's hand in his own. Riku came over and sat next to Sora, slapping him on the back as he sat down. "You don't mind, do ya?" asked Riku. "Of course not," answered Sora. "Those must have been some adventures, Sora. You've changed so much. You're different, good different, not bad different. You've got more strength. You've got more courage. I guess you could say you've got more heart," Riku stated as he stared at the fireworks. "Thanks for helping me. I could have never done it without your lead. You showed me the path, I just walked it." "You're wrong," said Riku as he shook his head and laughed. "There was no path, you see? You made the path and you walked it. There were many places that you could have turned around and given up, but you pressed on. Your strength of heart carried you through. It was you. It was your desire to find Kairi that got you through, not my help." Sora looked at his two friends. "Without you two, I would have been lost. Without you two I could have never done the things I did. Without you I never would have defeated Ansem, or that giant Heartless, or even gotten far enough to do so. So thanks for always being there for me." He reached over and shook Riku's hand. Then he turned the other way and leaned over to Kairi. "I love you," he said as he looked into her deep blue eyes. "I love you more than anything. I'd do anything for you." "I love you too. I always will. Stay by me forever." "Forever and a day." He kissed her softly and under the moonlit sky, their dreams became reality. It was the destiny of their hearts to lead the universe into the future where all hearts could learn the power of light. Destiny had at last been fulfilled.  
  
Well, that's the end of the story. To all of you who took the time to stick with this story since it began, I thank you. I hope that you enjoyed it and it was worth the time. To everyone who read, I also hope that you found this story worth the read. I hope you'll all review and I hope with positive reviews. So thanks to all. Until next time, Cloud413 


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